Ugandan lawmakers hold hearings on anti-gay bill

KAMPALA, Uganda (AP) - A Ugandan Parliament Committee has held a second day of hearings on a controversial anti-gay bill that attracted international condemnation for its harsh penalties.

Lawmakers indicated the bill could be voted on this week.

The bill was first proposed in 2009 but made little progress after a storm of criticism over a death penalty provision in the original bill.

The bill's author, David Bahati, told the Associated Press last month the death penalty provision in the bill was "something we have moved away from." The bill is now undergoing debate and negotiations, so a new version will likely be presented.

Gay activists say anti-gay sentiment in Uganda has increased since the bill's introduction.(COPYRIGHT 2011 BY THE ASSOCIATED PRESS. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.)

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